Over 30 people died in US due to winter storm
Some regions may not see temperatures hit above freezing until early February
A view of Washington Monument during heavy snowfall that began late last night blanketed the US capital, Washington DC on January 25, 2026
HOUSTON, United States
At least 34 people have died as millions of Americans braced for extreme cold gripping wide swathes of the US this week, as the dig-out from a massive winter storm that dumped mounds of snow and ice continued on Tuesday.
Cold weather alerts have been issued for much of the central and eastern US, with a polar vortex expected to set records in some parts of the southern and northeastern areas this week. That frigid front will also complicate efforts to clear snow and ice in dozens of states, as any melt will refreeze in single-digit temperatures.
Some regions may not see temperatures hit above freezing until early February. The Midwest, in particular, is forecast to be hit with exceptionally frosty temperatures.
One fatality was reported in each of the states of Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, and New Jersey, with two deaths reported in each Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Mississippi, alongside three fatalities each in Pennsylvania, Texas, and Louisiana, while four in Tennessee, and nine reported in New York, according to USA Today.
A woman in Kansas died due to hypothermia, another woman in Massachusetts died after being struck by snowplow, according to police, and three people died in Tennessee due to weather-related fatalities, the state’s health department said.
Officials, cited by the New York Times, reported that at least eight people were found dead over the weekend in New York.
In Minneapolis, the latest city rocked by unrest following US President Donald Trump's migrant clampdown, temperatures were expected to fall to minus 13F (minus 25C) Monday. Further south, the normally balmy cities of San Antonio and Austin in the state of Texas were expected to hit just 20F (minus 7C).
Wind is likely to make it feel colder than the thermometer might suggest in many parts of the country.
For many, the cold front could not come at a worse time. Hundreds of thousands of people across 11 states are without power, including over 29,000 people in Texas, 182,000 in Tennessee, 140,000 in Mississippi, and 100,000 in Louisiana.
In total, nearly 539,000 people are without electricity, according to the latest data from the PowerOutage.us website.
